Search This Blog

#286 - Meet Me in St. Louis

Motto: What's Left to Write? (this is a very similar pun to the one I made 4 Columns ago, sorry)

I'm writing this from a hotel in St. Louis. Melissa and I are here for the weekend for the 2016 Regional American Music Therapy Conference and as an excuse to sit around all day an avoid responsibilities (fun game: guess which one of us is here for what!). We plan on seeing the sites (sights?), enjoying nice meals, and, in celebration of the start of our re-watch of Parks and Recreation: treating yo self.

That introductory paragraph was the only thing I wrote in St. Louis. I'm already back home. In the time it took you to look at that picture and move onto this sentence, I went to the St. Louis Museum, St. Louis Zoo, the mall, fell asleep, and drove 4 hours back home. I'm quick.
One of the main things I wanted to write about today was my 12 New Year's Resolutions (which, you may remember, are what I'm doing instead of 30 Day Challenges for this year).

By the end of the year - I want to...Weigh 240 - this is still very possible, but despite my honest efforts I have changed my weight from 226 to 227. That's 100% within my daily weight fluctuation. So. No change.

Bench 240 - I've gone from ~200 to 205. Sadly, this is still 20 pounds down from a couple years back. I'm behind.

Squat 315 - I've gone from ~240 to ~260... maybe more if I had a spotter/confidence.

Deadlift 345 - I've gone from 280ish to 315... which technically is what I deadlift a few months back. This time I didn't have the benefit of a belt.

Screen Time Trending Toward One Hour - while my average screen time is down 40 minutes/day... it's got another 100 minutes to go.

Top 5: Comedic Performances by Traditionally Serious Actors5. Honestly, I only had four in mind. Google tells me I should probably put Jeff Bridges in "The Big Lebowski", but honestly "The Dude" wasn't really what made me laugh the hardest in that movie. Maybe John Goodman? But he's done a fair amount of comedy. Anyway, let's move on.4. Tom Cruise in "Tropic Thunder"3. John Cena in "Trainwreck"2. Jason Statham in "Spy"1. Michael Shannon in "The Night Before" - this was my inspiration to do this Top 5, it was so fantastic

Quote:"Don't trust the lid."- I don't remember who told me this... but it's great advice -

Motto: What a Marvelous Accomplishment Preface:Before I get started I'd like to let you know that I'm writing this in a coffee shop. The following video reflects my current situation:

Okay, now that's done. Either strap yourselves in or bail out now. This column is going to be spectacularly nerdy and long. I'm writing exclusively about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Please note that while this is notthe first time I've written about this subject, today's post will be more specifically focused on the MCU. A Brief History of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: The MCU is a series of movies (and a television show) produced by Marvel and distributed by Paramount that exist in the same shared universe, each telling their own story while contributing to a greater, overarching narrative. Specifically, this:

Those are all the current and confirmed future MCU movies. I didn't include the television show "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." in that graphic bec…